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Topic: Different Meanings for Words (Read 133681 times)

In Trinidad thongs are underwear.In Australia thongs are summer slippers. This electrified the Trinidadian guests at my cousin's wedding in Australia. The priest was making some point or other and referenced the rehearsal with the wedding party in jeans and thongs and the wedding ceremony with everyone in their best.

UK: football = soccerUS: football = american football/grid ironAus: football = footy = rugby leagueAus: rugby = rugby unionAus: soccer = soccer (althought the football thing is starting to get popular, it will always be soccer to me)

Almost!

UK & most of Europe : football = soccerUS : football = american football/grid ironNZ : football = rugby (union)Aus (Queensland/New South Wales/Capital/parts of the Northern Territory): football = rugby league/unionAus (Victoria, Tasmania, parts of South Australia & Western Australia): football = Australian Rules Football, the Grand Final of which is next week at the MCG.

A lot of countries outside the EU refer to 'European Football' as soccer. There was a great graph on graphjam about this the other week... must see if I can find it...

UK: football = soccerUS: football = american football/grid ironAus: football = footy = rugby leagueAus: rugby = rugby unionAus: soccer = soccer (althought the football thing is starting to get popular, it will always be soccer to me)

They play rugby in the Northern states of Australia, but to me Football aka footy is Australian Rules Football, not rugby. (I'm Victorian)

We don't say we 'root' for a team, in Victoria we 'barrack'. Rooting is another word for 'scrabble'

My BIL got into trouble in England when his registration sticker had become detached from the windshield, when questioned by the policeman he said the durex slipped. He meant glue/sticky tape, but in England a condom is called a durex. (or at least I believe it used to be) this was about 35 years ago.

UK: football = soccerUS: football = american football/grid ironAus: football = footy = rugby leagueAus: rugby = rugby unionAus: soccer = soccer (althought the football thing is starting to get popular, it will always be soccer to me)

They play rugby in the Northern states of Australia, but to me Football aka footy is Australian Rules Football, not rugby. (I'm Victorian)

We don't say we 'root' for a team, in Victoria we 'barrack'. Rooting is another word for 'scrabble'

My BIL got into trouble in England when his registration sticker had become detached from the windshield, when questioned by the policeman he said the durex slipped. He meant glue/sticky tape, but in England a condom is called a durex. (or at least I believe it used to be) this was about 35 years ago.

Do the American members use the word fortnight?

I only knew the "rooting" thing when I heard Kevin ****** Wilson's "She's the Sort of Sheila for Me"...I love his stuff, I find him hilariously funny, if a little bit insulting!

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Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit.Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

UK: football = soccerUS: football = american football/grid ironAus: football = footy = rugby leagueAus: rugby = rugby unionAus: soccer = soccer (althought the football thing is starting to get popular, it will always be soccer to me)

They play rugby in the Northern states of Australia, but to me Football aka footy is Australian Rules Football, not rugby. (I'm Victorian)

We don't say we 'root' for a team, in Victoria we 'barrack'. Rooting is another word for 'scrabble'

My BIL got into trouble in England when his registration sticker had become detached from the windshield, when questioned by the policeman he said the durex slipped. He meant glue/sticky tape, but in England a condom is called a durex. (or at least I believe it used to be) this was about 35 years ago.

Do the American members use the word fortnight?

I only knew the "rooting" thing when I heard Kevin ****** Wilson's "She's the Sort of Sheila for Me"...I love his stuff, I find him hilariously funny, if a little bit insulting!

UK: football = soccerUS: football = american football/grid ironAus: football = footy = rugby leagueAus: rugby = rugby unionAus: soccer = soccer (althought the football thing is starting to get popular, it will always be soccer to me)

They play rugby in the Northern states of Australia, but to me Football aka footy is Australian Rules Football, not rugby. (I'm Victorian)

We don't say we 'root' for a team, in Victoria we 'barrack'. Rooting is another word for 'scrabble'

My BIL got into trouble in England when his registration sticker had become detached from the windshield, when questioned by the policeman he said the durex slipped. He meant glue/sticky tape, but in England a condom is called a durex. (or at least I believe it used to be) this was about 35 years ago.

Do the American members use the word fortnight?

I only knew the "rooting" thing when I heard Kevin ****** Wilson's "She's the Sort of Sheila for Me"...I love his stuff, I find him hilariously funny, if a little bit insulting!

Only a little bit insulting - he'd be insulted to hear that!

Lol!! I love some of the ones with more swearing in. They amuse me. One in particular, and I hate the word he uses with a passion, but the song itself is just hilarious. I don't really want to post the name of the song, but I think you can guess which one!! I'd love to see him live!

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Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit.Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

I once shocked some people on an E-hell thread when I was talking about panties in a thread about pantyhose. (There are more languages in which pantyhose are called panties, so somebody quickly figured out what I meant and posted it)

On used car lots you will see big signs here saying OCCASION. WHen driving by one once with my American ex-GF, I for some reason read the sign out loud pronouncing it correctly with a French accent. See thought that I was joking with funny accents, and that is when I realized that she read it as the English word.occasion (eng): occurence(d')occasion (fr): 2nd hand car

What came to pick us up was in no way a mini-cab. It was a good, big car that that did exactly what we wanted at a reasonable price. The driver was identical to the kinds of drivers we know from Brooklyn. We were pleased with the service and gave him a good tip.

A minicab doesn't mean that it's a small car - it refers (I think) to the style of service offered. I would be very startled if I booked a minicab and literally got a mini coming to pick me up! :-)

I was quite confused when I heard a child tell his mother he needed rubbers...he couldn't been more than 10. His mother corrected that here we call them erasers.

Or when I was a child in California, 'rubbers' were rubber boots that go on over your shoes. Fine for rain, pretty darned useless for snow. (UK = wellies.)

Has anyone covered "jumper"?

« Last Edit: September 24, 2011, 10:01:58 AM by Elfmama »

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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Common sense is not a gift, but a curse. Because thenyou have to deal with all the people who don't have it. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On used car lots you will see big signs here saying OCCASION. When driving by one once with my American ex-GF, I for some reason read the sign out loud pronouncing it correctly with a French accent. See thought that I was joking with funny accents, and that is when I realized that she read it as the English word.occasion (eng): occurence(d')occasion (fr): 2nd hand car

Similarly, someone I knew, while traveling in France and proud of her French, wanted to ask a local jam maker at a market whether there were any preservatives in the jam. The problem, les preservatifs are condoms. (Another set of acquaintances were first confused and then amused to see this printed on a machine in the train station that ended up containing prophylactics).

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I'm the kid who has this habit of dreamingSometimes gets me in trouble tooBut the truth is I could no more stop dreamingThan I could make them all come true.

"I'm stuffed" in the U.S. means "I've had too much to eat", but apparently in Australia it means you've had sex? I was told this by a friend who repeated the phrase in an Sydney restaurant and got funny looks, but it sounds far fetched to me.